San Jose goes Platinum

OK, not the actual city, but the 530,000-square-foot San Jose City Hall.

The mayor's office reports that the building has earned the LEED-EB Platinum designation from the U.S. Green Building Council, the first city hall to snag this distinction. The combination of measures that has been taken by the city government add up to annual savings of about $30,000 in energy costs alone, according to San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed.

Here's how the city did it:

1. Found energy efficiencies by installing high-efficiency light fixtures, using natural lighting where possible and opting for energy-efficient windows. The San Jose City Hall is supposedly more energy-efficient than 93 percent of similar facilities.
2. Reduced water use by 82 percent through ultra low-flow fixtures and landscape irrigation with recycled water.
3. Adopted policies that keep more than 90 percent of the building's waste out of landfills.
4. Made a decision to use green cleaning products and special filters in the heating and air-conditioning systems.
5. Wrote an Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policy to favor green products, including computers.